Solderless side seam for sheet metal containers



Sept. 5, 1939. H. SCHRADER 2,171,714

SOLDERLESS SIDE SEA FOR SHEET METAL CONTAINERS Filed April 8, 1938Mama/1 5 Patented Sept. 5, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SOLDERLESSSIDE SEAM FOR SHEET METAL CONTAINERS Application April 8, 1938,Serial-No. 200,987

2 Claims.

The invention relates generally to metal receptacles, particularly thosein which the can bodies include side seams of the well known lock andlap type, and has for an object to provide 5 a container embodying aliquid tight side seam devoid of solder.

Many efiorts have been made to produce a.

sheet metal can body wherein the side seam is made liquid tight withoutthe use of a solder l bond. In order to accomplish this, sealingcompounds, seam dopes, or packing strips have been incorporated in theside seams. These efforts have been only partially successful becauseithas been impossible effectively to seal the considerable length of lapportions of the seams lying between the end closures and the hooktermini.

In its more detailed nature therefore, the invention resides in theprovision of a container comprising a body, and end closuresseam-secured thereon, said body including a side seam of the lock andlap type in which the lap portions are sufliciently short so that duringthe rolling of the closure securing seams the lap portions will bewholly rolled into the seams and the interlocked hooks brought into theclamping range of the rolled parts of the double seam and grippedthereby so as to form an eflective end seal at the juncture of the hookand 30 lap portions.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a container of thecharacter stated a novel form of solderless lock and lap seam embodyingseam sealing means and means for preventing both longitudinal andlateral movement freedom of the seam components.

With the above and other objects in view which will more fully appear,the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by followingthe description, the appended claims, and

the several views illustrated in the accompany-' ing drawing.

In the drawing- Fig. l is a face view of the notched blank from whichthe can body is to be formed;

, Fig. 2 is a face view of the blank shown i Fig. 1 with the hooks bentinto position;

Fig. 3 is an edge view of the blank shown in Fig. 7 is an enlargeddetail horizontal section taken on the line l-'| of Fig.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail horizontal section taken on the line 8-8 ofFig. 5;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail vertical section taken through thesideseam, the edge portion of the can body being turned out to receivethe end closure, and an end closure being loosely applied thereon.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail vertical section of the completed seam.

Container side seams of the lock and lap type are well known, andexamples of this seam and apparatus for forming it are to be found inthe patent to Troyer, 1,772,820, issued August 12, 1930.

In the practical development of the invention the blank 5 is suitablynotched to form portions from which inner and outer hooks 6 and I arebent as shown, in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, and blank portions 8which extend beyond the hooks and form the lap portions of the seam.

It will be noted by reference to Figures 3 and ,4 of the drawing thatthe lap'portions 8 extendingbeyond the hooks 6 and I are madesufliciently short in length so that they will be wholly rolled into thedouble roll seams by which the end closures are secured upon the canbody, thus causing the ends of the hook portion of the seam to bebrought into the clamping range of the rolled parts of the double seamand gripped thereby was to form an effective end seal at the juncture ofthe hook and lap portions. See I also Fig. 10.

A suitable dope, sealing compound or packing material 9 is applied tothe portions of the blank which engage to form the side seam so as tofill and effectively seal the interstices between the lock and lapportions of the seam. I am aware that compound sealed, solderless seamshave heretofore been, proposed, but in all such seams of which I amaware it has been impossible to form a perfect liquid seal at the endsof the hook portions, or rather the juncture of the hook and lapportions of the seam. By clamping these portions with the rolled partsof the double seam as shown in Fig. 8 a perfect liquid seal can beformed without the use of solder. It is to be understood that the endportions of the side seamed can bodies are outwardly turned in the usualmanner as indicated at ID to receive the end closure members. In Fig. 9of the draw- .ing I have shown an end closure loosely applied to a canbody preparatory to being seam-secured thereon. The end closure includesthe usual body portion ll countersunk to receive the chuck and toprovide a heel portion I 2 which fits snugly within the can body andwhich is gripped, together with the flange portions l3 of the endclosure and 8 of the body which make up the double roll seam, betweenthe chuck and the first and second operation seaming rollers in the wellknown manner during the formation of the double roll seam. The completeddouble roll seam is designated l4.

During the bumping of the interlocked hooks 5, I, an abutment rib I5 isthrown up from the metal bordering the inner hook 6 in position forlying snugly behind the return bend juncture of the outer hood 1 and thecan body portion which supports it as shown in Figs. '7 and 8 of thedrawing. The rib extends substantially the full length of the hookportion of the seam but terminates at its ends as at "5 just short ofeach lap portion of the seam thus avoiding the presentation of anycrevices which might render difiicult the formation of a perfect liquidseal.

The abutment rib l5 effectively locks the side .seam against strains ofcompression tending to cause the hooks 6 and 1 to slip or creeprelatively laterally, and the clamping of the hook portions of the sideseam by the end closure seams serves not only to perfectly seal the sideseam at the juncture of the hook and lap portions of the seam but alsoto secure the hooks against, any strains set up through the ends of thecan and tending to cause the hooks to move relatively longitudinally.

What I claim is:

1. A sheet metal container comprising a body portion having its edgesjoined by a solderless side seam including interlocking hooks and lapportions at the ends thereof, a sealing material between the engaginghooks and the lap portions, a closure member for each end of the can.each closure member having a depression forming a vertical wall adaptedto contact with the inner wall of the can body, and a projecting flangeadapted to be rolled downwardly and inwardly into an end seam, saidinterlocking hooks being extended into the end seam between saidvertical wall of the depression and downwardly and inwardly rolled partsof the end seam whereby said interlocking hooksare gripped therebetweenand a tight 'seal formed in the region adjacent the ends of the hooks.

2. A sheet metal container comprising a body portion having its edgesjoined by a solderless side seam including interlocking hooks and lapportions at the ends thereof, the metal of the can body adjacent theinterlocking hooks being shaped so that the inner side of the inner hookis in alinement with the'inner wall of the can body, and the metal inthe body wall adjacent the base of the outer hook being bent outwardlyto form a rib for holding the hooks interlocked until the end seams areformed, a sealing material between the engaging hooks and the lapportions, a closure member for each end of the can, each closure member'having a-depression forming a vertical wall adapted to contact with theinner wall of the can body, and la projecting flange adapted to berolled downwardly and in-- wardly into an end seam, said interlockinghooks being extended into the end seam between said vertical wall of thedepression and the downwardly and inwardly rolled partsof the end seamwhereby said interlocking hooks are gripped therebetween and a tightseal formed in the region adjacent the ends of the hooks.

HERBERT SCHRADER.

